OAKLAND COUNTY (WXYZ) — Oakland County is closing the eastbound and westbound shoulders on I-96 between Kent Lake Road and I-275/I-696 and M5 starting Monday to make way for its $269 million road project.
The county will have moving shoulder closures. Anticipate the right shoulder closing from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Monday through Saturday.
The first stage of the road project is expected to kick off on Monday, March 21.
Oakland County is building a flex lane to speed up traffic.
Flex lanes are temporary shoulder lanes that are used when traffic flow is heavy.
For example, during:
- Peak driving times and travel periods
- Maintenance work
- Special events
- Incidents and crashes
MDOT says these flex lanes have already been proven successful. They claim the lanes have reduced drive times during rush hour by 5 to 7 minutes.
Currently, US-23 between M-14 near Ann Arbor to the south of M-36 in Green Oak Township is operating under a flex lane system.
On I-275/I-696, there will also be electronic signs showing when the flex lane is closed and opened.
During the first phase of the project, the governor's office says eastbound and westbound I-96 traffic will be shifted onto the westbound lanes between Kent Lake Road and Wixom Road; Two lanes will reportedly be open in each direction to accommodate the rebuilding of the eastbound lanes.
There will also be median drainage work. During that time, I-96 will have three eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes between Wixom Rd. and the I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange with ramp closures: NB and SB Kent Lake Road ramps to EB I-96, NB and SB Milford Road ramps to EB I-96, EB I-96 exit ramps to Milford and Wixom roads, and the Milford and Wixom road ramps to WB I-96.
The first stage is expected to be completed by late fall 2022. Updates are expected to be available at DrivingOakland.com.
